Half a second later, lines of characters and a clear image appeared on the console's large screen.
It displayed the real-time status of the medium-sized truck, along with footage from the front-facing camera.
"The temperature inside the cab is 62 degrees, and the outside temperature is 55 degrees."
Glancing at the data, Su Wu felt both relieved and uneasy.
In such extreme heat, if he had gone in person, he would have collapsed from heatstroke on the spot. Remote operation was undoubtedly the smarter choice.
He activated the driving system and started the engine.
The medium-sized truck rolled out of the farmyard and onto the road in near silence, accompanied by three reconnaissance drones hovering above. The truck's onboard cameras provided limited visibility, but with the drones' high-altitude perspective, he could better plan the route and avoid potential dangers in advance.
Even though Su Wu wasn't physically present, the truck and the construction robot were valuable assets. It was best to proceed with caution.
The journey was uneventful.
The roads were eerily quiet, like a post-apocalyptic wasteland.
All he saw were withered vegetation and stretches of gravel shimmering under the blazing sun. It wasn't until he entered the city that he occasionally encountered transport vehicles, though their numbers were sparse.
By now, the official evacuation was mostly complete. The majority of the city's population had already moved into shelters.
"Doomsday..."
Su Wu silently observed the desolate streets on the screen.
For the first time, the reality of the apocalypse struck him on an instinctual level.
He couldn't help but wonder—compared to the official shelters, could his own, buried only ten meters underground, truly withstand the extreme heat and natural disasters to come?
"The outer walls are a meter thick with concrete, reinforced by a two-millimeter iron plate in between."
"The insulation should be better than that of typical basements and underground parking structures."
"On top of that, the ventilation system and central air conditioning were upgraded using survival points. Their quality should surpass most official shelters."
"If the sealing holds up well enough..."
"Withstanding surface temperatures of 200 to 500 degrees might not be an issue, at least for a while."
The thought reassured him somewhat.
At the very least, his own safety was secured. And with the shelter still expanding—growing deeper and larger—he had room for retreat if necessary.
In terms of development potential and contingency planning, his shelter wasn't any worse than the top-tier official ones.
More than twenty minutes later, the medium-sized truck passed through the city and turned onto a narrow road leading to a rural village. Eventually, it came to a stop in front of a two-story house.
The construction robot in the driver's seat opened the door, crossbow in hand, and stepped out.
"No signs of life detected."
Switching to the robot's perspective, Su Wu guided it to circle the building. After confirming there was no immediate danger, he directed it toward the main entrance.
Despite the house's ordinary exterior, the front door was secured with an uncommon electronic keypad lock.
However, the intense heat seemed to have affected it. The system lagged, and despite several attempts, the lock refused to open.
"What a piece of junk."
Growing impatient, Su Wu was about to send the robot back to the truck for a hammer when—
Click.
Several seconds after the last attempt, the electronic lock finally responded, unlocking at an agonizingly slow pace.
The door swung open.
The room was empty, aside from a pile of scattered hardware tools in the corner.
"It's not here. I'll check upstairs then," Su Wu muttered, calming himself before directing the construction robot up the unguarded indoor staircase.
Finally, in a bedroom, he found a neatly stacked box of chips, still wrapped in plastic film.
"This should be it. Looks well preserved."
His mood lifted slightly at the sight of his target.
As he scanned the room, preparing to have the robot carry the chips downstairs, something caught his eye—a photo frame sitting on the bedside table.
In the picture, a beautiful little girl leaned against a middle-aged man, offering a slightly shy smile to the camera. Her bright, innocent eyes were filled with happiness and hope.
"This..."
Perhaps it was the girl's radiant smile, but Su Wu hesitated for a moment before instructing the robot to take the photo frame as well. His gut told him it might be important to someone.
With the chips secured, Su Wu made sure not to leave empty-handed. Before heading out, he gathered all the hardware tools and materials from the first floor and loaded them into the truck—his rightful payment for the delivery.
The medium-sized truck returned to the farmyard.
Su Wu immediately packed ten kilograms of lettuce and the rest of the agreed-upon items into the truck.
Fresh lettuce didn't last long in extreme heat. To ensure it arrived in decent condition, he had opted for this special two-part delivery instead of loading it all at once. It wasn't an inconvenience for him—the electricity was limitless, and he wasn't the one actually making the drive.
With no other tasks in the queue, the delivery was swift.
Fifteen minutes after loading, the construction robot, still riding in the medium-sized truck, arrived at the entrance of the seller's shelter.
"Thank you. Really, thank you," the seller, a thin middle-aged man, hurried out of the shelter, surprised to be greeted by a robot instead of a person. But more than anything, he was relieved and grateful.
Before this, he had no guarantee that Su Wu would follow through. He had even braced himself for the possibility of being scammed.
"The deal is done."
Su Wu, monitoring the exchange, gave a casual wave as he controlled the robot. Without lingering, he had the machine jump back onto the truck, which promptly set off for home.
The middle-aged man watched as the truck disappeared into the distance.
Wiping sweat from his forehead, he didn't dare remain outside for long. Clutching the bag of lettuce and other essentials, he hurried back into the shelter.
"Someone actually delivered the goods to you?"
An official stationed at the shelter's entrance raised an eyebrow in surprise.
Stepping outside at this time wasn't just about enduring the scorching heat—it meant risking one's life against the sudden, extreme heat storms that could strike at any moment. Few had the courage to take that chance.
"Guess I got lucky. Met an honest buyer," the middle-aged man replied with an easy smile, making no mention of the robot.
"Oh, right. Here, a little something for your trouble."
He reached into his bag and pulled out a few heads of lettuce, offering them with a flattering nod.
Even though it had only been a day or two since people entered the shelters, the loss of crops and farming equipment was already being felt.
Under these conditions, fresh vegetables were a rare luxury. Even for government workers, it was a sincere gift.